Have you ever heard the old adage, “Show, don’t tell”? It can be applied to a lot of things, but it’s particularly applicable to your brand and products. One of your jobs is to show your potential customers why your product is the best on the market, and why it’s worth buying over your competitors’ products. When you meet with potential clients, you probably have for them a list of reasons why your product is superior. But your competitors have lists too, which argue why their products are better than yours. It’s much more effective to show them what makes you the best. Differentiating commodity products by example will help set you apart in your customers’ minds and really drive home your brand.
Using Sales Tools
There are several different ways of differentiating commodity products in your customers’ minds. One thing you can do is to meet with them directly and provide a practical demonstration. To do that, you’ll need a sample case. Include a selection of your products that you can show to people and let them experience for themselves what makes them worth buying. For instance, maybe you sell carpeting. Have on hand samples of some of the different kinds of carpeting you sell. Different textures, different constructions, different colors. Let them feel how soft one is, how durable the next is, and how well a particular color will match their offices. That way, they can see firsthand exactly what you have to offer and understand why your products are exactly what they need. Another option is to send samples in the mail. These will have to be significantly smaller than the ones in your sample case, as you don’t want to send an enormous box to each of your potential client’s doorsteps. Not only will they not appreciate it, the postage will be expensive. So pick something small, that can fit in an envelope, but that is a reflection of who you are: something that shows them what your company and products are all about without your being there to provide an explanation. Mailed samples can be a great way to introduce your product to people all over the country or the world and get them interested in what you have to offer.
